Thursday, June 20, 2013

Instagram Video

Any initial thoughts about this Instagram video announcement and what it’ll mean for PR/comms?

This is big news. For years, YouTube has utterly dominated the online space for videos. Indeed, in the same way that “Kleenex” means “tissues,” YouTube has come to mean “videos.” Today’s announcement means there’s a new kid in town—and he’s backed-up by Facebook’s billion-plus users and billions in the bank. Accordingly, communicators now have greater choice in choosing where to direct our resources.

Indeed, Instagram videos threaten not only Google (YouTube) but also Twitter (Vine). This is especially true in light of Instagram’s mobile-first architecture, and because the mobile video market is ripe for the taking.

How do you think this will affect Vine, by the way? Can Vine and Instagram Video co-exist?

Absolutely—there’s more than enough room for many fish in the intertubes. For example, LinkedIn and Facebook happily co-exist, just with different niches.

It’ll be interesting to see which niches Vine and Instagram video capture. Just as LinkedIn is the social network from 9-5 and Facebook is where we go during lunch and for happy hours, so Vine may become a news-oriented platform, whereas Instagram videos take over the cute-kitten market.

A prediction: Because Instagram videos are 15-seconds (compared to Vine’s 3), Vine may feel compelled to expand its timeframe. Which, again, means greater choice for users.

Videos are a famously difficult medium to master, yet with Facebook’s resources, Instagram is well-poised to meet this challenge and capitalize on an enormous market.